The drive arrangement under discussion is used for the motorized adjustment of at least one adjustment element of a motor vehicle. In the present case, the term “adjustment element” is to be understood in a comprehensive fashion. Said term includes tailgates, trunk lids, doors, in particular side doors, storage-space floors or the like of a motor vehicle.
The drive arrangement under discussion is primarily used in tailgates and side doors in motor vehicles. Said drive arrangement is used for the motorized adjustment of the respective adjustment element in the closing direction and in the opening direction.
The known drive arrangement (WO 2010/083999 A1), on which the invention is based, is associated with a tailgate of a motor vehicle. The drive arrangement is equipped with two spindle drives which each have, in a compact physical unit, a drive motor, an intermediate gear mechanism with a clutch, and a spindle/spindle nut mechanism. A spring arrangement is provided in the respective physical unit, said spring arrangement counteracting the weight of the associated tailgate. The known drive arrangement also has a drive control means which is used to actuate the two drives, in particular the two drive motors.
The two drives, in particular the two drive motors, each have two associated supply connections which are selectively connected to a supply potential and ground via corresponding driver circuits. Two driver circuits are provided for the two drives, said driver circuits each being equipped as an H-bridge circuit. In particular, DC motors can be actuated in a bidirectional fashion in a simple manner with H-bridge circuits of this kind.
The drive arrangement under discussion generally also comprises a third drive which is associated, for example, with the motor vehicle lock of the tailgate, the door or the like. The third drive is a constituent part of a motorized closing aid which ensures that the respective adjustment element is pulled into the completely closed position against the seal counterpressure of the adjustment element seal. A closing aid drive of this kind is described, for example, in EP 1 550 784 B1.
A total of three drives are required for the adjustment of the tailgate, the door or the like overall, said drives each having their own driver circuit. This generally leads to an overall arrangement which is complicated in terms of control technology.